Taking Stock
by Annber03
Summary: The team comes to terms with the day's frightening events. Missing scene from episode 1x12 ("Justice x2").


_As great and intense as this episode was, I noticed we didn't get a scene with the others learning about what happened to David. So I wanted to remedy that._

* * *

Kristen stepped into the waiting room, finishing off the last of her cup of coffee. She'd lost count of how many cups she'd had already. Hospital coffee being what it was, it wasn't the greatest tasting stuff, but it'd been enough to help steady her nerves a little. She tossed the now empty cup into the trash and leaned against the wall for a moment, her gaze towards the area where Laura's room was.

_She's fine. She's going to be okay. Breathe. Relax._

The whole thing still felt like a dream. One minute her worst fears seemed to be coming to pass, the next, she was getting the news she'd longed to hear. Laura's heart was healing itself. She was going to have a nice, long life.

It was a miracle. A true, honest to goodness miracle. The word sounded so foreign on Kristen's tongue, but it was the only one that described this joyous news. What she could make of that, she still wasn't fully sure.

_Seems like a topic for one of your little chats with David._

"Hey."

Kristen turned at the sound of Ben's voice, thankful to be pulled away from those thoughts for the moment. "Hi."

"Everything good?" he asked. "She still doing okay?"

"She's fine. She's happily chatting away with her sisters right now, in fact," Kristen said, shaking her head in amusement. She then noticed the medium-sized teddy bear in Ben's arms. "You got her something?"

Ben looked down at the bear. "Yeah, I found it in the gift shop. Figured it might cheer her up a little."

Kristen gave Ben an affectionate smile. "Aw, that's so sweet." Kristen took the toy, looking it over. Its "fur" was soft and white, and it had big button eyes and a small nose. "That's very cute. Thanks, Ben."

"You're welcome," he said, returning her smile. Just then, his phone buzzed, and he frowned as he looked at the number.

"Who is it?" Kristen asked.

"I dunno," he said as he went to answer. "Hello? Yes, this is Ben Shakir, who's this?" His expression grew increasingly confused as he listened to the caller. "Wait, wait, I'm sorry, what did you say? What happened to David?" He turned to Kristen, eyes widening in shock.

"Wait, David? What about him?" Kristen reached towards Ben, but he waved her back. She watched, nervous, as he began pacing about. He ran a hand over his mouth at one point, and muttered what sounded like a curse under his breath.

"Yeah. All right. I'll be right there. Thank you," Ben eventually replied, finally ending the call. He hung up, unsure of what to say next.

Kristen immediately began pestering him. "What happened, what's going on, what's wrong with David?"

Ben looked at her, and she was surprised to see what looked like guilt in his features. "He was attacked earlier."

Kristen's stomach dropped. "_What_?!" _Again? _

"Remember that possession case he was supposed to work today, with the woman who claimed to hear voices?" Kristen nodded. "Apparently she hit him, and he fell down her basement stairs. He and another guy were held captive down there."

Kristen gasped, putting a hand to her chest, "Oh, my God." She almost didn't want to ask the next question. "How bad?"

"He's injured his ankle, but that seems to be the worst of it. Physically, at least. Not something he'll need to spend multiple days in the hospital for."

Kristen tried to keep her voice slow and steady. "Okay. What happened to the other guy?"

At that question, Ben's expression turned grim. "He's dead." Now Kristen's eyes widened. "She shot him." There was a brief moment of silence as they absorbed that fact, before he spoke again. "I'm going to go see David, make sure all's squared away with him."

"Do you need me to come along, or...?"

"No, you stay here. You've got enough to worry about," Ben said, nodding towards Laura's room. "I've got this."

"Okay. If you do need anything, let me know."

"Will do. Catch you later. Give Laura a hug for me." He tapped her arm affectionately before heading off.

"Bye." Kristen clutched the stuffed bear a little tighter, rubbing her upper arms. It felt very cold all of a sudden. Taking a deep breath, she then turned back towards Laura's room.

* * *

"David!"

David perked up at the sound of the familiar voice. He looked over to see Ben striding into the room, his face a mix of panic and relief. He barely managed to squeak out a "Hi" before Ben interrupted him.

"Hi. What the hell happened here?" He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, giving him a once-over. As he glanced at his ankle, he drew in a breath, quickly turning his eyes back to meet David's.

David gave him a wan smile. "Nice to see you, too." When Ben didn't respond to his attempt at humor, he sighed. "What all did they tell you?"

"That Sonia attacked you and held you captive in the basement with another guy." His voice grew quiet then. "And that she killed that other guy."

David swallowed hard at the mention of the other man's murder. "Yeah." He let out a frustrated huff. "Honestly, it all happened so fast. One minute we were in the kitchen, just talking, and then...I noticed a red spot on the floor. It looked like blood. I went to excuse myself to leave when I heard somebody yelling in the basement. So I went to investigate, and the next thing I remember, I was lying on the floor." He looked at Ben. "I needed to check. If somebody was down there, I couldn't just leave them alone with her."

_Ever the hero, _Ben thought. "You should've called me," he said, trying to hold back his irritation.

"Then it might've been three of us down there. Then what?"

"Or maybe we could've gotten out and you wouldn't be in the hospital once again." He put his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "She said you were out when I stopped by, I should've known that was a lie. I could've done something then – "

"Ben." David's voice was sharp, and Ben instantly quieted. "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself. What's done is done. Okay?"

"But I could've – "

"Ben. Stop it, please."

He nodded, trying to silence the lingering doubt. "So why'd she kill the other guy anyway?" he asked then, changing the subject.

Just the question alone was enough for David tense up. How could he even begin to explain this part of things?

"David?" Ben asked after what seemed like an uncomfortably long moment.

"She was a member of the Tutsi." David's voice seemed to echo, it was so eerily quiet. Ben's eyes widened in realization. "The guy, Lando, was a Hutu comedian. He lived in Rwanda during the – " David took a deep breath at this point, " - the genocide, and he worked for a radio station."

His eyes burned with tears as he continued. "Sonia played a few clips from his show." He looked at Ben, disbelief in his eyes. "He _cracked_ _jokes_ about the massacre. Really awful, inhuman jokes. And then he'd play pop music. Like it was nothing."

Ben remained quiet, allowing David the time to collect his thoughts. "Anyway, Sonia felt his words encouraged the Hutu during their rampage. She talked about how they would recite his jokes while they slaughtered people. One of their victims was her sister. So she felt compelled to make him pay." He tried to control his trembling voice. "She called it justice. Obviously, I sympathize with her rage, but..." He leaned his head back on his pillow, the memory of the shooting playing on a brutal loop in his mind. "I don't know."

"Damn," was all Ben could say in response.

"I tried to talk her down, let it all end peacefully. I couldn't even do that." David closed his eyes in frustration. "Maybe Renee was right. Maybe I'm not cut out for this."

"No, no, hey, don't go there," Ben said. "If anything, today proved _exactly_ why you'd make a good priest. You wanted to help both Sonia and Lando. You can find compassion for everyone. I admire that." He looked away then. "I wish I were more like that. I don't know if you noticed, but I tend to be kinda stubborn and impatient."

"Noooo, you don't say!" David replied. The two shared a small laugh at that, grateful to feel the tension break a little.

"Seriously, though, don't beat yourself up over this, okay? You did what you could. I know Kristen would say the same thing."

David considered Ben's words. "Yeah. Thanks." He paused. "Where _is_ Kristen, anyway?"

"Believe it or not, she had her own hospital emergency. One of her daughters."

"Laura?" When Ben furrowed his brow at him, he explained. "She told me about her heart condition."

"Oh. Yeah, it was her. They were going to do a procedure on her and everything. She's fine, though," he added, anticipating David's next question. "Seems the valve healed up all on its own."

David breathed a sigh of relief, casting his eyes upward. "Thank God." _At least there's one piece of good news today._

"Yep, it's been a hell of a day all around." Ben looked around the room. "So. How much longer are they keeping you here?"

"Should be able to leave shortly, actually. Just gotta check a couple more things first."

"I'll give you a ride home," Ben said, clapping David on the shoulder.

"Great." He placed a hand over Ben's. "Thanks again. For everything."

"You got it."

* * *

David brightened as the name popped up on his phone. Just the person he wanted to speak to right now. "Hey," he said upon picking it up. "Awfully late for you to be calling."

"David?" Kristen wasn't even trying to hide her anxiety.

"Yeah, it's me. How are you? How's Laura? Ben told me what happened."

"Crazy day, huh? But yes, she's going to be okay." David smiled at the sheer happiness and emotion in her voice. "Everything healed on its own. I still can't quite believe it. I've been monitoring her like a hawk anyway, though, just in case."

He hummed in response. "I can imagine. But I'm very glad to hear she's all right. Are the other girls okay?"

"They're fine." She decided not to mention the weird chanting situation at the hospital. He had enough on his mind, and besides, that was more an issue between her and Andy anyway. "How about _you_? How are you doing? What on earth went on with that case?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's a long story." No way was he going to burden her with the details of the horror he'd witnessed today. She deserved her moment of peace. "I'll tell you another time. But I'm all right. I'm going to be off my foot for a while, but all things considered, I got off easy."

"Okay, well, I've decided that you're not allowed to go anywhere alone anymore, all right? Ben and I are going see to that."

David chuckled. "I have no doubt." Kristen's tone may have been light and joking, but he wouldn't be surprised if she were more attentive towards him as a result. If he had to have somebody keeping tabs on him, though, he was more than fine with that person being her. "I promise I'll be more careful."

"Good." She let out a sigh. "I hate hospitals. I don't want to see anyone in another one anytime soon."

"That makes two of us," David said. He shuddered at the memory of his last hospital stay. "Let's all just agree to be careful in general. Deal?"

"Deal." He could picture her flashing a big grin. "Well, I suppose I should probably let you get some rest, then. I just wanted to call and see how you were."

"I appreciate the concern. You get some rest, too, okay? Give Laura and your other girls my love."

"Will do. Night, David. Take care."

"You, too. Night, Kristen." He heard the beep ending her call, and after hanging up, attempted to settle himself into as comfortable a position as he could manage.

Elsewhere, Ben and Kristen also found themselves tossing and turning at first after settling into their respective beds. None of them would realize it, but the same thought crossed each of their minds, before they all finally fell asleep.

_Everything's going to be all right. _


End file.
